Esteban Ocon expects Alpine will make a significant step forward when the team introduces its next upgrade package at the British Grand Prix.
“We have quite a bit of our upgrades normally coming so that should be a good step for us,” he told RaceFans and other media after the Canadian Grand Prix. “So yeah, big hopes.“It’s going to be a big week starting from Tuesday for us in Silverstone. So a lot of work going ahead and hopefully we can go for well because we’re hoping the car is where it should be.”
He said the progress Alpine has made with its development plan has been “very encouraging” to see. “The team is pushing forward a lot and getting the upgrades earlier than what they were planned and it’s delivering, it’s going in the right direction.
“Since the beginning of the year, we have improved more than a lot of other teams. So we can satisfied and it’s going in the right direction.”
However he admitted the A522 is not competitive enough yet for them to be able to fight Mercedes.
“I got overtaken by both of them today so we’re still a long way off,” he said. “But that’s the aim, yes, they are the next on the list.”
Team principal Otmar Szafnauer said he was pleased with how the team’s car performed in Canada compared to the rivals they expect to be able to compete with.
“The pace of the car in the wet was good,” he said. “The pace of the car in the dry, we thought we would be not as fast as the Ferraris and Red Bulls, but about as fast as the Mercedes. And as it turned out, the Mercedes got us because of some circumstance.
“But in the championship overall, we’re not going to beat them, we have to be realistic, we’re not going to finish third. So with those that we’re fighting for fourth, I’m really happy we scored a lot of points.”
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2022 Canadian Grand Prix
- Alfa Romeo see “great future in F1” for Zhou after best result so far
- Ocon has “big hopes” for Alpine’s Silverstone upgrade package
- Hamilton’s Canada podium especially satisfying after run of “bad luck” – Wolff
- Verstappen urges Red Bull to find more pace after close win in Canada
- More confident Sainz is now a contender for wins – Binotto
SjaakFoo (@sjaakfoo)
25th June 2022, 9:43
If everyone brings a big upgrade package to Silverstone, and apparently they are, if the punditry is anything to be believed. Then everyone’s going to stay in the exact same pecking order as before.
grat
25th June 2022, 20:30
Ah, is this your first time to Formula One?
Pecking order rarely changes that much. Relative performance may vary, but pecking order– not as much.
Todfod (@todfod)
27th June 2022, 13:20
Don’t really see Alpine taking a massive step forward, as I doubt their update will be better than the Mercedes. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time the Enstone squad had a successful update that really made a positive impact and moved them up the grid. They should be happy if both drivers make it to Q3 and they manage a double points finish. The best they can hope for this season is finishing in front of Mclaren, Alpha Tauri, Aston and Alfa Romeo.